Living in contact with others to live a hundred years? Thanks, but no thanks

The “blue zones” have become our new lost paradise. These are the five regions of the world where, instead of knocking at the door, death seems to leave a little note of apology under the doormat to postpone the meeting for a few decades. The villages of Ogliastra [province de Sardaigne]the municipality of Loma Linda [dans le comté de San Bernardino, en Californie]the Nicoya Peninsula [au Costa Rica]the island of Ikaria [en Grèce, sur la mer Égée] and the island of Okinawa [au Japon]Â: These regions are the subjects of scientific articles, television specials and, fittingly, Netflix series that promise to teach us how to “live to be a hundred years old†like in these places.

The scenario of this story is invariable: the inhabitants of these privileged enclaves happily exceed 100 years of age, escaping the classic diseases which accompany the final stretch of our existence, such as cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, dementia. degenerative diseases, which, in our cities, often appear well before retirement. It’s an ideal fable for building a media story: science says that to live longer, we should settle in villages where everyone knows each other, sees each other, touches each other, helps each other.

A nightmare

For me, this obligatory